Dill's Pickle
by Geek1
Summary: Number 4 in the Dill and Ty series.....whatever will they do?
1. Default Chapter

Title: Dill's Pickle Author: Geek Rating: NC-17 This story contains sex - don't say you didn't know! Spoilers: None  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
The characters and situations of the TV program "SPACE: Above and Beyond" are the creations of Glen Morgan and James Wong, Fox Broadcasting and Hard Eight Productions, and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. Dylan Mackenzie belongs to me.  
  
Once again - MANY THANKS to Karen, she's the Bestest beta ever, and Christa - who keeps the cheese to a minimum, and offers endless advice and help. What would I do without the two of you?  
Chapter 1.  
  
Dylan Mackenzie was worried - seriously worried. She paced the floor in her small kitchen, trying to work out what she was going to do. It was two months since Colonel TC McQueen had brought her home, after their eventful week spent at Commodore Glen Ross's beach house on the Alabama coast. Two months since he had asked her to marry him. And now he was God knew where, doing God knew what. Dill sighed. What she needed right now was to have him hold her close and tell her everything was going to be all right. If she closed her eyes she could almost imagine it. the feel of him. the way he smelt. She breathed deeply and opened her eyes. It helped a bit, but not enough. She resolved that next time she saw him a piece of his clothing was coming home with her.  
  
She'd known something was wrong, but had put it down to a stomach bug. Only it was every morning, and she was late, something she'd never been before. According to the test before her on the counter, she now knew why. Dylan sighed and, filling the kettle, set about making herself some tea. She'd have preferred something stronger, but in her condition. She stopped dead, a look of horror on her face.  
  
"Oh, my God!" she thought. ".in my condition. How the hell am I going to tell mother?"  
  
Dylan shook her head, trying to clear the images of her mother, purple with rage, that were forming in her mind. It was not an easy thing to do, having recently seen her just that way. Dill had put away the ring McQueen had given her, afraid to wear it in case her mother spotted it. After a month, and an optical disc from him, she'd been so happy that it had found it's way back onto her finger. She was damned if she was going to let her mother intimidate her any longer. It had taken less than a day before her mother noticed it. The row that ensued had been a particularly bitter one, with Dill forced to defend McQueen time and time again against her mother's furious tirade. It had ended badly, with her mother telling her that she would no longer be speaking to her until she came to her senses. Dylan agreed that that was perfectly acceptable to her, as her senses were exactly where she wanted them, 'thank you very much'. And, in fact, not speaking was just fine with her too! Realising the kettle was overflowing, she emptied the excess into the sink, and set it on to boil.  
  
And then there was Ty. He thought he couldn't have children. It was the 'official' reason his ex-wife had given for their divorce, and it had been the cause of a rather awkward and slightly embarrassing talk between them on his first visit to Scotland. Dylan had reached for the drawer of her bedside table and had handed him a condom. The mood had changed instantly, and instead of the joyous passion she'd been expecting, they'd lain in bed talking about his inability to father children due to a 'war wound'. It had been obvious to Dill that this was something that affected him deeply. Hell, it was one of the reasons for his awful nightmares. But she hadn't pushed, hoping that eventually he'd tell her the whole story. She'd seen the scars, she knew his war record, so she could make an informed guess. Of course the fact that they'd not seen each other in 10 months meant that all such thoughts were soon pushed to the back of their minds as the desire and need for each other took over. She could have laughed, for according to the test in front of her, Dill knew Ty was fully functional, no matter what the doctors had told him.  
  
Feeling her stomach start to quiver, all thoughts except one, to make it to the bathroom on time, fled from her mind as she ran through the house, hand firmly clamped over her mouth.  
  
After losing her breakfast, she sat propped against the bath, praying fervently that wherever he was, she hoped he was suffering sympathy pains. How dare he tell her he couldn't father children and then damn well get her pregnant! Even as she thought it, she could feel her stomach rising again. Damn him to hell and back!  
  
Once the fit of vomiting had passed, she slowly made her way back to the kitchen. The kettle had boiled and she made herself a mug of black tea, finding that the very idea of milk made her gag.  
  
Again she paced, thinking, trying to decide what to do. If she told her mother. well, Ty would see the explosion, wherever he was in the galaxy. Dill smiled. He'd probably hear it too! But she wasn't talking to her mother, was she? So what was she going to do? Her mother was a doctor, true, and she'd need to get checked out health wise. but by her own mother? No, that could wait. Being sick was normal, and it would pass eventually. Besides, a tiny voice whispered, did she really want to get into a fight with her mother again? And after all, what she doesn't know won't hurt her, will it?  
  
It was telling Ty that had her worried. How would he react? Would he be pleased? Of course he would. wouldn't he? But what if he reacted badly? What then? Well, that'd just make her mother's day, wouldn't it? What if he wanted nothing to do with her, or the baby? Dylan stopped pacing, her hand pressed to her stomach. He wouldn't do that... surely? Fear gripped her. What if her mother was right? He'd run out on her once, at a time when she needed him. What if he did it again? But he wouldn't, would he? She was sure of it. wasn't she? Well, there was no real hurry, was there? After all, she had plenty of time to work out exactly how to tell him, and he'd be pleased. He would be pleased. She was positive about it. He would be pleased. wouldn't he?  
  
Damn! Dill put her tea down and raced for the bathroom. Wiping her mouth with a damp face cloth afterwards, she half lay on the floor propped against the bath. Hell, she was far too exhausted, felt far too ill, to even consider speaking to anyone right now. She'd wait until she felt better. maybe next week.  
  
She crawled on her hands and knees into her bedroom, climbed onto her bed, and slept soundly.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Her whole body ached and she was going to be sick yet again. Sometimes it seemed to Dill as if she had been sick her entire life, even though she knew that in reality it had only been several months. After a mad dash to the bathroom, and a hot shower, she stood and looked at herself in the mirror. It was no good, she simply couldn't hide it anymore. Even a baggy jumper wasn't going to hide her bump now - at about 5months pregnant she looked huge. She was going to have to tell her mother before too long. Avoiding her had taken some doing, but it couldn't be done forever. Not for the first time did she wish she wasn't so small. Then maybe she'd have been able to hide it a bit longer. Sighing, she went to get dressed, stopping to let the nausea pass. Why did they call it morning sickness when it went on all day? And shouldn't it have stopped by now?  
  
It was while getting dressed that she first noticed she was bleeding.  
  
It threw her into a panic. Something was wrong, but what? She finished dressing and headed out, making for the small cottage hospital that the Community ran. All the while her mind raced - what if she lost the baby? She still hadn't told Ty yet! That would be a conversation she never wanted to have. She could just imagine it. 'Hello Ty, I'm just letting you know I miscarried our baby. Oh, sorry, didn't I tell you I was expecting? It must have slipped my mind!' She would have laughed, but she was far too worried. She hurried along the path, both hands clutching her stomach. At least she wasn't in pain, she told herself. That's a good sign, right?  
  
She hoped her mother wasn't on duty. It would be hard to avoid her if she was. She had originally trained as a general surgeon, but after founding the Community, had veered off to specialise in obstetrics. Of course, being the only doctor for quite a while, she'd had to keep up to date in most fields of medicine. Arriving at the small hospital, she pushed the doors open and, taking a deep breath, walked in. She looked around. There was no one about, and then she heard from behind her, "Well, if it isn't Monster Mackenzie!" Turning, she saw a tall slim red head walking towards her, wearing a face splitting grin.  
  
Iona'd named her Monster when they were children. Dylan had fallen into Loch Ness and had believed her friend, who'd told her she could see the monster coming to eat her. It had been a trip that had cost them both dearly. On seeing her soaked clothing and realising they had climbed the walls to the outside world, Dylan's mother had grounded them for 2 months.  
  
She grinned back. "Iona Campbell! I didn't know you were back!" Dill looked about her. "Mother?" she asked nervously.  
  
Her friend shook her head. "No, I'm working tonight. Not that there's anything to do except count beds, but hey, it's what I spent all those years training for!" She gave her friend a closer inspection. "You look awful, Dylan, and you've added a few pounds since I saw you last." She grabbed her arm and pulled her over to a seat. "So tell me about this handsome Marine my mother has been telling me all about. You have been the object of so much gossip, it's marvellous!" she laughed. "Good old Dill, always in trouble with Mummy Dearest!"  
  
Dylan stopped her. "It's more than that, Iona." She glanced around. "We need to talk, somewhere private."  
  
Iona looked at her thoughtfully and nodded. "OK, in here." she said, standing and pulling Dylan into a small side room. She waited as Dylan sat up on the bed. "So how far along are you?" she asked.  
  
Dylan nearly cried with relief. "About 5 months." she whispered. "Well, that's how long it's been since I saw him. How did you know? I've managed to keep it hidden, but now I'm bleeding, and I'm so scared. I don't want to lose this baby, Iona."  
  
"Hidden? Are you telling me that no one else knows?" Iona let her shock sound in her voice.  
  
Dylan nodded. "I couldn't tell mother, we're not talking."  
  
"She's your mother, Dill! She'll be delighted." Iona shook her head. She'd never figure out Dylan and her mother, not if she lived to be a hundred!  
  
"She'll be furious. If you know about Ty, then you must know he's an in vitro. Mother hates him. That's why we're not talking." she sighed. "When she found out he'd asked me to marry him, she went ballistic."  
  
"Dylan Mackenzie, you were born to be in trouble. You always were when we were kids, and now this. Lie down and let me look at you. You've had no check ups then, I suppose, have you?" she asked while rolling up the sleeve of Dylan's jumper to take her blood pressure. At the shake of Dylan's head, she sighed. "Trust you - you always were a fool."  
  
"Iona," Dylan said in a small voice, "please don't let me lose this baby."  
  
Seeing the lost look on her friend's face, Iona smiled. "Dill, I spent 5 years training as a nurse and a midwife. I'm going to do the best I can. Now be quiet and let me examine you."  
  
Half an hour later Iona looked grim. "For 5 months, Dill you're huge. I want to do an ultrasound, so you'd better come with me. We'll see just how big this baby of yours is, and maybe find out why you're bleeding." Seeing the frightened look on Dylan's face, she reassured her. "It's OK. It's not too bad. I just want to make sure the placenta is where it's supposed to be. If it's not, then bed rest for you, madam!"  
  
They headed down the hallway and into another room. "Hop up there and undo those trousers." Iona said absently, as she busied herself turning on the equipment and gathering together what she needed. Turning, she applied the gel to Dylan's stomach. "Sorry this'll be cold, but we'll be able to see better."  
  
Together they stared at the screen in front of them. Finally Dylan broke the silence. "Um. Iona, why does my baby appear to have two heads?"  
  
"Because, Dylan Mackenzie, you were always one to never do anything in half measures, and this is no exception. You're having twins!"  
  
". twins?"  
  
"Are you deaf now, too? Yes, twins. Want to know the sex?"  
  
"Twins? Holy mother of god! Now I'll have to tell him." She lay on the bed staring at the ceiling.  
  
Iona stared at her. "Dill, are you telling me he doesn't know?"  
  
Dylan nodded. "I was worried about his reaction."  
  
Iona laughed out loud. "Well, you better make sure he's sitting down when you tell him, or he'll pass right out!"  
  
"What am I going to do, Iona?" Dylan whispered.  
  
"Oh no, don't expect me to bail you out! Not this time! Anyway, everything else looks fine, but I want you to stay here for a couple of days so I can keep an eye on you."  
  
"But my mother will find out!" Dylan wailed.  
  
"You think you could have kept twins hidden?" Iona laughed. "She's not blind, Dill."  
  
Dylan shook her head. "I don't know if I can deal with her at the moment. But. you said something about telling the sex?"  
  
"Yes, I can tell you if you want. Luckily for you, I know what I'm looking at!" she laughed.  
  
"So tell me. am I looking at two Duncans or two Morags?"  
  
"Morag? No way, Dill. You can't call a baby Morag. It's not right. So anyway, what's daddy's name?" Iona was busily moving the scanner around as she asked it.  
  
"Ty. Tyrus. Tyrus McQueen." Dylan whispered.  
  
"Well, it looks like daddy McQueen has himself two little Tyrus juniors. Tyrus.where the hell did he get that name from?" she laughed.  
  
"Boys? He'll be delighted. I hope." Dill sighed. "I told you, Iona, he's an in vitro. It was given to him. Tyrus Cassius McQueen. Fair rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?" she laughed.  
  
"Well, at least it's a nice Scots name, McQueen."  
  
"Iona! As if that matters!"  
  
"Well, as I recall, you were going to call your sons Cameron, Duncan and Malcolm." Iona laughed.  
  
"And you were going to call yours Macbeth and Hamish!" Dylan giggled. "I might steal Hamish." she laughed. "Want to swap for Duncan?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After settling her into a room of her own, and attaching her to several large and annoying machines that bleeped, Iona told her to get some rest. Looking around her, it occurred to Dylan that for such a small community, they had some pretty impressive equipment. How did they afford it? She knew her mother's family had money, but how much, she wondered? It didn't take her long to fall asleep, aided by the fact that whatever Iona had given her for the nausea was helping. She was concerned that at this stage Dylan was still unable to keep much down when she ate.  
  
She woke to the sound of someone moving around next to her. Opening her eyes, Dylan saw her mother checking the machines. "Mother?" she asked quietly.  
  
Turning, her mother looked at her from cold hard eyes. "How can you have been so foolish?"  
  
Dylan felt very small and vulnerable in the bed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."  
  
"You didn't mean to get yourself pregnant by this tank? Or you didn't mean for me to find out?" She stared at Dylan. "So where is he? This marvellous tank of yours. the tank that is so much better than any other tank ever decanted. Did he run when you told him? Tell you he wasn't ready for the responsibility? I warned you, Dill. I told you this would happen. that they're all the same." She shook her head. "But you wouldn't listen, would you? Oh no! Not you. You knew better, and where has it got you? Tell me that!"  
  
Dylan let her finish, hearing the same tirade she'd heard so many times before. "He's not here, mother, because he doesn't know. I haven't told him yet. And anyway he's fighting a war. He can't just drop everything and come running!"  
  
"You haven't told him!" For just a second, Moira looked astonished. Then the old bitterness closed in. "Worried about how he'll react? I'm telling you, Dill, you won't see him for dust. Tanks are all the same. Your father transferred off station the very next day - his feet didn't touch the ground! Just you wait and see. A letter will come telling you he can't do this - the time isn't right, or some such BS. He'll drop you like a hot brick. What will you have then, Dill? Nothing, that's what. You'll discover the hard way why we started this place!"  
  
Dylan sat up, yelling. "That's not what'll happen! Ty will be pleased. He'd like to have children! I know he would! If I'd told him, he would have tried to come and see me. I know he would have! Stop comparing him to my father. He's not him! Don't blame him because you fell for someone who couldn't love you back! It's not his fault my father was afraid of you!" She fell silent, hearing her own words.  
  
Her mother glared at her. "Afraid of me. is that what you think? He wasn't afraid of me, Dill, he was afraid of YOU! Of what you represented. He couldn't handle it and ran away! He was a damned coward! Tanks are cowards. Face it...yours is too!" She turned and fairly stomped out of the room, leaving Dylan to collapse back onto the bed exhausted.  
  
Iona was through the door in seconds. "Dill, are you all right?" she asked. "Well, you and your mother haven't changed much, have you?" she grinned. "She sure does hate him though, doesn't she?"  
  
Dylan sighed. "Iona, you don't know the half of it."  
  
Pulling up a chair, she answered. "So tell me."  
  
After having sat with Dylan for an hour, listening to her talk, Iona had an idea. But first she had to talk to her own mother. "Dylan, there's paperwork I need to do. I'll be back later, OK? Try and get some more rest, and eat, please."  
  
"OK" Dylan whispered wearily, settling herself back down to sleep.  
  
Later that evening Iona was back, arriving as Dylan ate her supper. Sitting herself down in the chair, she waited until Dylan had finished eating before she spoke. "Dylan, have you ever wondered about your father?"  
  
Dylan looked at her, surprised. "Well of course! We always used to pretend that one day our fathers would swoop in here and take us away from here, remember?"  
  
Iona smiled. "Yes, I remember. What do you know about him?"  
  
Dylan thought for a moment. "Well, his name was Dylan. I know he had brown curly hair." At Iona's raised eyebrow, she laughed. "Well, I sure didn't get this unruly mop from my mother! What else do I know? Um. his batch number? That's what the old cow put on my birth certificate, his batch number! Can you believe that?" Seeing Iona's grin, she asked, "What? What is it?"  
  
"I know more than you do, Dill. Our mothers started this place together, remember? Well, they talked about all sorts of things, including our fathers. I spoke to my mother today. Would you like the chance to find him? He won't be the person he was 27 years ago. He might be proud to know he's going to be a grandfather, and that his daughter is engaged to an in vitro legend."  
  
Dylan stared at her. "Are you telling me you know where he is?"  
  
Shaking her head, Iona smiled. "No, but I know his name. They laughed about it when your mother told mine. I know where they met. what he was doing."  
  
"Tell me!" Dylan demanded. To think that she might actually be able to find him. to finally meet this man who her mother had made sound so bad, ever since she'd challenged her with the knowledge that he was an in vitro.  
  
"His name - if he's still alive. And Dill, you must accept that he may not be. It's Dylan Thomas."  
  
They stared at each other. "The poor soul! " whispered Dylan, before they both began to laugh.  
  
"He worked in the kitchen of the military hospital your mother did her training at. My mother doesn't know it's name, but I'm sure with a little digging we could find out easily enough. He was only a year out of the tank, Dill. No wonder he ran away. He was probably frightened of what might happen to him. He was still serving his indenture."  
  
"Ever since I met Ty, she's been filling me full of stories of how he was a coward who ran away. couldn't face up to his responsibilities. didn't know what love was. Well, it's not bloody surprising, is it? If he were only a year old, he'd have had no idea at all, would he? God, I hate her! She's been trying to drive a wedge between Ty and me right from the start. It ends now." She looked Iona in the eye. "I'm going to find my father. I am. If he's alive, I'll find him."  
  
Iona grinned. "Good. He was indentured to the military, to the catering corps, I understand. So he should be easy to trace, unless he's left the military all together."  
  
"Right. Let's do it! Am I fit enough to leave here?" Dylan asked, worried. "Am I up to going to see Ty? To the travelling?"  
  
"Yes, you are." Iona nodded. "All the tests have come back clear, the bleeding has stopped, and anyway, you'll have your own private nurse travelling with you."  
  
"Iona?" Dylan grinned happily. "You're going to come with me?"  
  
"Would I let my best friend and chief trouble maker travel the universe alone in her condition? Not bloody likely!"  
  
"Hoo Ya!" Dylan shouted. She laughed at Iona's face. "Sorry, I picked that up from Cooper, one of Ty's kids. Well, not his kids, because he can't actually have children. " She saw Iona's glance at her bulging belly. "Well, he thinks he can't. I can't wait to see his face!" she laughed.  
  
"Wait till I'm behind him, to catch him when he faints." Iona chuckled.  
  
They sat and hatched their plan well into the night.  
  
~~~~~~~~~ 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Dill's Pickle Author: Geek Rating: NC-17 This story contains sex - don't say you didn't know! Spoilers: None  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
The characters and situations of the TV program "SPACE: Above and Beyond" are the creations of Glen Morgan and James Wong, Fox Broadcasting and Hard Eight Productions, and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. Dylan Mackenzie belongs to me.  
  
Once again - MANY THANKS to Karen, she's the Bestest beta ever, and Christa - who keeps the cheese to a minimum, and offers endless advice and help. What would I do without the two of you?  
Chapter 2.  
  
The journey took longer to organize than either Dylan or Iona had expected. Their first hurdle had been simply leaving the Community and getting into the US in order to talk to the US military authorities. Armed with her father's name and batch number, Dylan had started her inquiries at the Pentagon. Then she had to overcome the suspicions of the military personnel who had passed her from pillar to post until finally, exhausted and feeling as if she had been spinning her wheels for days instead of only 24 hours, she'd spoken to a nice young lieutenant that a captain had foisted her off on. The lieutenant actually listened when she spoke to him. With his help they had tracked her father down. He was head chef aboard the USS Colin Powell. Getting permission to visit him had proven even harder. Didn't she know there was a war on? The front lines were not the place for a pregnant woman to be going. Some heavy-duty persuasion eventually won over the lieutenant, and he wrangled them permission and transportation to both the USS Colin Powell and the USS Saratoga.  
  
At long last, they were on their way.  
  
******  
  
Dylan found the journey hard going. Now seven months pregnant and still sick, she found being squashed down in the tiny head onboard the ISSCV was no joke when you couldn't bend in the middle anymore. She barely slept, between her nervousness at meeting her father and the way the babies kept her awake with their wriggling all night. She was exhausted, and glad that Iona had come too.  
  
"Dylan, how are you feeling?" Iona asked, as Dill returned from yet another trip to the head. She was concerned both as a friend and as a professional about the way Dylan continued to grow paler everyday.  
  
"I'm okay. Tired, but okay." Dill whispered from her seat next to a view port. Absently she rubbed her belly. "If only these monsters would sleep at night, I might get some sleep too. I don't know if it's Hamish or Cameron, but one of them rivals his father for thrashing about at night." Noticing Iona's questioning glance, she grinned. "Ty has nightmares. awful ones. He blacked my eye once when I tried to wake him."  
  
"Are you seriously going to call your babies those awful names?" Iona asked, trying to ignore the mental image of her friend with a black eye.  
  
"Oh yes, if Ty agrees, of course." Dylan nodded. "I like them."  
  
Shaking her head, Iona couldn't help grinning. "Those poor, wee lambs"  
  
"What about their poor, wee mother? Do they stop to think about me? I don't think so. They just dance, or wrestle, or do whatever they do in there all night long!" she laughed. "And then in the morning they make me heave myself inside out! I thought the being sick part was supposed to pass."  
  
"I guess you're just unlucky." Iona told her. "Now could you try and get some rest please?"  
  
Dylan sighed. "Tell these little buggers that." She settled herself as comfortably as she could, and tried to sleep.  
  
Iona watched her, fearing that the journey was proving too much for Dylan. She was worried that the stress of meeting her father might cause problems with her blood pressure, or complications with the pregnancy. The weight she had lost at the beginning of the pregnancy, she'd never regained, and arguing over getting her to submit to a daily intra-veinous nutrient solution was becoming rather tiring. She sighed. There was little she could do, except continue to monitor her and simply be there for her.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Arriving on the Colin Powell, they discovered that Dylan's father had transferred several weeks earlier to the supply ship The George Washington. Dylan, despite wanting to leave straightaway, had been persuaded by Iona to stay overnight, at the very least, while they waited to receive clearance for the Washington. Iona used this opportunity to have Dylan checked out in the Colin Powell's sickbay. To her immense relief everything checked out fine. Dylan was tired, but it was nothing a hot meal and some sleep couldn't cure. Which was what they did. For once the babies let Dylan sleep through most of the night, and the next morning they received notification that the Washington was expecting them.  
  
Standing in the doorway of the ISSCV, Dylan accepted the helping hand being offered as she stepped out. Looking up into the blue eyes staring at her, she was shocked to see a familiar face looking back. It was the same face she saw every time she looked in the mirror - blue eyes, brown curly hair, and snub nose. Which in his case looked like it had been broken more than once.  
  
Iona, having exited first, saw the looks on both their faces. She grinned at the identical look of recognition on both of them. Well, she thought, there's no doubting that this is her father. They're alike as two peas in a pod.  
  
"You must be Dylan." he said, his voice a rich baritone.  
  
"So must you be." she whispered, taken aback at the sheer size of him. He towered over her. She expected him to be small like her, since her mother was taller than she was, and she had to have gotten it from somewhere. It had made sense to her that he must have been built like her. That theory had just flown out the window.  
  
He looked at her - at her huge swollen stomach - and grinned wryly. "I can see we have lots to talk about. Why don't I show you ladies to your quarters? You don't mind sharing, do you? We're a little cramped here."  
  
At their nods, he turned and led the way out of the landing bay. Dylan felt a sense of deja vous as she followed him through the passageways, staring at the navel on his neck. It didn't seem so long ago that it had been Ty's neck she'd been following. Absently she rubbed her stomach, soothing the moving infants inside, smiling at the warm glow the mere thought of McQueen gave her.  
  
He stopped in front of a door. Opening it, he said, "Here you go. I'll leave you to get some rest. I'll have some food sent to you, and I'll be back later to talk." He smiled at Dylan. "I'd rather talk here, in private, if you don't mind."  
  
She nodded her head. "That's fine with me, and I'll probably need to stay near the head anyway."  
  
He looked at her, confused, and glanced toward Iona, who told him. "Dylan is still getting sick sometimes, and the travelling has made it worse."  
  
Understanding dawned. "Oh, well, okay then. I'll see you later." He turned and headed off back the way they'd come.  
  
Inside, they found he was right. They were cramped, and Dylan seriously doubted she'd be getting much sleep for the next week. She peered out of the window, wondering which speck of light was the 'Toga, and what Ty was doing at that exact moment.  
  
"Dylan?"  
  
She turned, a wistful look on her face. "Yes?"  
  
Iona sat on one of the small beds, her bag beside her. "So? What do you think so far? He seems OK, doesn't he? There's no doubting he's your father - you're the living image of him!" She sounded wistful herself. "I wish I could look for mine."  
  
Dylan made herself as comfortable as she could on the other narrow bed. "You can. Once these monsters have been born. We'll find him Iona. I promise."  
  
Iona shook her head. "No, Dylan, we can't. The reason my mother joined with yours in the Community was that she and my father were attacked. She nearly lost me, and he was killed. My father's dead, Dylan."  
  
Dylan hauled herself upright and sat down next to her friend. They had been friends since childhood, and Dylan had missed her more than she could say when Iona had left to do her nursing training. After she'd met Ty, she missed her even more. There was no one she could talk to. no one to giggle with over him.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Iona. I never knew." she said, putting an arm around her and pulling her in as close as she could for a hug.  
  
"Neither did I, until I started asking my mother about your father. She told me then - told me not to go looking for mine, that I'd not find him. She told me why." Iona looked at Dylan, tears glistening in her eyes. "God, Dill, I'm so happy for you, but."  
  
"But you wish we'd found your father." At her nod, Dylan smiled. "That's okay, I can understand that. We're here now, but all I can think about is I want to see Ty. I so desperately want to see him, to feel him, to be able to smell him." At Iona's raised eyebrow, she giggled. "He always smells so.so delicious."  
  
They looked at each other and burst out laughing.  
  
"You know, Iona, I've missed you so much. I'm so glad you came home when you did. I missed this. us. laughing together over such silly things." Dylan admitted.  
  
"I did too."  
  
They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Getting up, Iona found a young corporal with a trolley. "Compliments of the Chef." he said, pushing it inside and removing the covers. "Real steak, fresh vegetables, and some real creamed potatoes with onion gravy." he announced. "Followed by a pecan pie and real cream." He glanced at them with a smile. "Chef obviously likes you. He doesn't serve pecan pie to everyone!" With a last lingering look at Dylan, he said goodbye and was out of the door, pulling it closed behind him.  
  
Iona laughed. "Well, the way he was looking at you Dill, gossip will be ship-wide before we've finished this meal!"  
  
Laughing, Dylan agreed. They sat and ate companionably, thoroughly enjoying the food, which Dylan managed to keep down, much to her relief.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Dill was still sleeping when her father arrived. She had waked only briefly during the night when her babies decided to dance the tango inside her. Looking up, she saw Iona and her father smiling at her.  
  
"What?" Dill asked groggily.  
  
"You talk in your sleep." he told her. Smiling at her blush, he carried on. "Don't worry - none of it was clear."  
  
"Except for Ty." Iona grinned. "The one word we could make out!"  
  
Blushing furiously, Dylan sat up. "Well, ummm.." she muttered, trying to hide her embarrassment. "So how long have you been listening to me?"  
  
They both laughed. "Not long." her father said. "So tell me. Ty? Is he the proud father?"  
  
"I don't know." Dylan whispered. "I mean, I know he's the father, but I don't know if he'll be proud." She looked away. "He doesn't know."  
  
Iona stood up. "I think I'll go and stretch my legs." she announced. "You two need a little private time."  
  
At Dylan's nod, she disappeared out of the door.  
  
Her father looked at her. "Why doesn't he know?" he asked her quietly.  
  
"Because I haven't told him."  
  
"Why haven't you told him?"  
  
She sighed. "I was scared." she whispered finally. "Scared that he'd do what you did. Run away and leave me."  
  
He sat and stared at her for a long time. "Dylan, I didn't run away and leave you."  
  
"Yes you did. Mother told me that after she'd told you she was pregnant. You transferred off the station the next day."  
  
She could see his thoughts racing across his face as he reflected on her words. Grimly he said, "I think you'd better tell me what your mother has told you," he paused to smile gently at her, "and then I'll tell you my version of events."  
  
He patiently listened to everything that Dylan had to say, not stopping her. He let her rid herself of all the fears her mother had instilled in her, wincing occasionally at some of the things she'd been told. Eventually she rambled to a halt, reluctant to discuss Ty with him so soon. She just sat and looked at him, waiting.  
  
He let out a long slow breath. "You know, Moira was beautiful when I first saw her. Long blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. I'd never seen anyone quite like her before. She used to smile at me when she came in for her meals. For a young in vitro, that was heady stuff. I'd only been out of the tank a year, and most of that had been spent in the kitchens where I worked. Not much opportunity to have contact with women." He smiled at Dylan. "I served her dinner for months before I gathered the courage to say hello. I nearly fainted when she said hello back. After that she always said hello to me, and we began to make small talk. About the food mostly, but I was so entranced by her that I really didn't care. I mean, she was talking to me - a trainee doctor talking to a lowly tank."  
  
"So how did it go any further?" Dylan asked. "I mean, she gave me the impression that it was the love affair of the year. That's why she's so angry about me and Ty, because she says I'm fooling myself."  
  
"We bumped into each other outside the kitchen. I didn't get much time to myself, but what time I did, I spent outdoors. There was an empty field at the back of us - just grass, with an old tree slap bang in the middle of it. I used to climb that tree and hide out in the top branches, away from everyone. She found me there one day. A particularly bad day. It was much tougher for tanks then. I spent most of each day hauling storage containers from one place to the next, cleaning inside the damn vats, scraping fat off places it shouldn't be. All the worst jobs a kitchen has, and then some. He worked me almost 24 hours a day. The chef hated me because I was a tank. He used to threaten to transfer me to the IV Platoons. They say head chefs are all bastards, but he was the worst I ever served under. If there's a single kitchen implement that didn't get thrown at me, or used to hit me with, I've yet to meet it. I was always covered in bruises. Your mother was shocked the first time she saw me." He blushed. "Well, when we . you know what I mean." he said with a shy grin.  
  
She nodded patting her stomach with a grin. "Yeah, I know."  
  
He smiled back at her. "I guess you do. I shouldn't really complain - I was extremely lucky. I could have wound up in far worse places. Instead I got a relatively cushy job in a kitchen, with plenty of room to move on up. Now I'm head chef. I get to do the shouting."  
  
Dylan sighed, thinking about the 5 years Ty had spent as a miner. What would he have been doing now, she wondered, if he'd been working in a kitchen instead? Her hand wandered back to her stomach.  
  
Seeing her sigh, and the far away look in her eye and the way she absently stroked her stomach, her father called to her. "Dylan?"  
  
She jumped. "Sorry. I was miles away."  
  
"I could see that. Thinking about the father? I see a ring, but not a wedding band."  
  
She glanced at her hand. "Yes, I was, and no, you don't. He's asked me to marry him, but we haven't set a date or anything yet. After the war.that's when it'll be." She rolled the ring on her finger. "Providing he's still alive."  
  
"He's a soldier?" he asked. "Tell me about him, please?"  
  
"I'd rather not. He's kind of private." she said slowly.  
  
"Dylan, you're my daughter. I knew you were out there, even if I never tried to find you. I had no choice but to leave Moira. When the chef discovered I was seeing her, he had me shipped out into space. It was sheer bad timing that there was an immediate opening out here and they shipped me out the day after Moira told me she was expecting you, but I couldn't have married her anyway. I was still indentured." He reached out to hold her hand. "I often wondered what you looked like. what you were doing. I didn't even know if you were a boy or a girl, or what your name was." He smiled. "She named you after me. But I knew you were there. And now you've found me, you're about to become a mother yourself, and me, I'm going to be a grandfather. So please. tell me about my future son-in-law."  
  
"You've probably heard of him. He's pretty famous." She stopped, reluctant to say his name. "Dad... can I call you that? Is that all right?" At his nod, she carried on. "Please don't tell anyone. He doesn't know yet, and it's not something he should pick up from scuttlebutt."  
  
"Dylan, is he on this ship?" her father asked worriedly.  
  
"No." she shook her head. "He's on the Saratoga."  
  
"The 'Toga? They're in the middle of a hairy furball, Dylan. You won't be able to visit him now." His mind was racing. To the best of his knowledge, the 'Toga was in the thick of it, as usual. Seeing her worried face, he tried to reassure her. "I'm sure he's fine, Dylan. What does he do?"  
  
Knowing she was going to have to tell him, she took a deep breath. "He commands a Marine Squadron.the 58th."  
  
His eyes widened. "The 58th? Are you telling me." he stopped, sitting back in his chair in disbelief. "My god, Dylan! The man is a legend. You're not joking, are you?"  
  
She shook her head, patting her stomach. "Nope, these babes belong to Lt. Colonel TC McQueen, USMC.."  
  
"No wonder Moira's so angry with you, Dylan. Another tank. She can see it happening all over again. Though I don't see him as a man to shirk his responsibilities, especially as he's already proposed to you." He looked at her face, at the anxiety he saw there. "Dylan, are you worried that he'll take off? Do you really believe the things she's said to you? Don't. If he loves you enough to ask you to marry him, well, you have nothing to worry about. Not a thing. I promise." He laughed. "The guy sure has some reputation!"  
  
"He thinks he can't have children." she whispered. "What if he thinks they're someone else's?"  
  
"Are they?"  
  
"No, they damn well are not!" she almost shouted at him.  
  
He grinned. "I don't think you need to worry too much about that. And I see you inherited your mother's temper."  
  
"But your strength." she laughed. "I decked him once. He went down like a log, but don't tell anyone!"  
  
They were both laughing as she told him about how she'd hit McQueen and pinned him to the floor, although she didn't tell him why, when there was a knock at the door. It was Iona, back from her walk around the ship.  
  
The three of them sat for a long while, filling in Dylan's father on her childhood and the adventures and mischief they'd gotten into together, until it was time for him to leave. He promised to return the next day, to give them a chance to get to know each other properly before she had to leave.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
It turned out that he was right. The Saratoga was in the frontline of a particularly nasty battle, and they were unable to go there until she'd been withdrawn to the back of the fleet for repairs.  
  
Dylan became increasingly frustrated. She needed to see Ty. She was glad that the extra time gave her the chance to get to know her father better, but she was afraid that they'd have to return to earth before she could tell McQueen about his impending fatherhood. With each day they were delayed, it looked like impending would soon turn into a done deal. Finally, 3 weeks after arriving on the George Washington, they boarded a transport for the Saratoga.  
  
Standing in the landing bay, Dylan hugged her father as tight as she could. "I'm so glad I found you. I'm really going to miss you."  
  
Hugging her back, he smiled. "I'll miss you too. Make sure you let me know when those boys arrive, and don't forget to invite me to the wedding!"  
  
"I won't." she said, pulling away, only turning back as he bent to whisper to her, "and Dylan, don't worry, he won't run away."  
  
With a huge grin, she clambered into the transport and waved as the door slid shut. 


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Dill's Pickle Author: Geek Rating: NC-17 This story contains sex - don't say you didn't know! Spoilers: None  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
The characters and situations of the TV program "SPACE: Above and Beyond" are the creations of Glen Morgan and James Wong, Fox Broadcasting and Hard Eight Productions, and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. Dylan Mackenzie belongs to me.  
  
Once again - MANY THANKS to Karen, she's the Bestest beta ever, and Christa - who keeps the cheese to a minimum, and offers endless advice and help. What would I do without the two of you?  
3.  
  
Because of the three week delay, Dylan was almost eight months pregnant by the time she and Iona arrived at the Saratoga. For such a tiny person, she was huge. She sat strapped in her seat, terrified, remembering the first time she'd visited the 'Toga. how the doors had opened and she'd peered out straight into the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. She was so nervous that as soon as the doors opened this time, she ran to the head and lost her lunch.  
  
Iona watched her thoughtfully. She was getting seriously worried about Dylan. Although she'd been monitored on the Washington, they hadn't picked up on how tired she really was. But Iona had known her all her life. Although Dill was still up and moving, that spark of energy she always had had drained away. Iona hoped that this meeting with McQueen went as smoothly for Dylan as the one with her father had.  
  
Iona stepped down out of the transport, scanning the faces, looking for McQueen. Did he know Dylan was coming? There didn't seem to be any silver haired, blue-eyed men waiting. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. Two men in flight suits had come through a doorway to her right. She turned to see. That one, she thought. The smaller of the two, in the black. She could see him scanning the people getting off the transport, ignoring the taller man next to him who was grinning and talking to him. She allowed herself to linger on the sight of the taller man, his short brown hair sticking up like it had a life of it's own. She could see the excitement in his eyes. Who was he waiting for, she wondered? Suddenly both men straightened, their faces a picture of shock. Then the black clad man's face closed up. It was like watching a wall go up, she thought. He paled and looked distraught before his face went totally blank, and he turned smartly on his heel and almost bolted from the room, leaving the other man staring at him in disbelief.  
  
Hearing a gasp from behind her, she turned to see Dylan white as a sheet, hand gripping the doorframe as her legs gave way.  
  
"Dylan!" she cried, rushing towards her. But she was beaten to Dill's side by the tall man, as he pushed past her with unbelievable speed.  
  
"I don't know what's got into him." he said, gently lifting her down from the transport. "But you could've told us. I mean, you're.well.you've er.aww hell, Dylan, are you.y'know?" he asked.  
  
Iona stood and stared at him blankly as he easily, but carefully, settled Dylan on her feet, holding her up with an arm around her shoulders. "She's having a baby, if that's what you mean." she told him automatically.  
  
He blushed. "Well, y'know, I thought maybe she might have just got fat, maybe. It's not like I know a whole lot about babies and stuff."  
  
Dylan nodded. "Yes, Coop, a baby. That's it." she muttered, not believing what she'd just seen.  
  
The man named Coop turned to Iona. "I'm sorry, I'm forgetting my manners. but I thought Dylan here was going to fall." He grinned at her, his whole face lighting up. "I'm Cooper Hawkes." He stuck out his free hand.  
  
"Iona Campbell." she answered, shaking his hand in return. "And I take it that fleeing figure was the famous Ty that I've heard so much about?"  
  
He nodded. "That was the Colonel, yeah. I think maybe he got a shock. I'll take you to your quarters, though I think the colonel was kinda hoping Dylan would bunk with him." He raised an eyebrow. "But I guess that ain't gonna happen. I mean, you're too big to fit in a bunk with him now."  
  
Still supporting Dylan, he hoisted her bag onto his shoulder and led them towards their quarters. Cooper chattered away happily, seemingly oblivious to their silence. He left them at the door, and with a cheery smile, turned to Dylan and said, "You make sure you come and visit us. The girls are gonna freak when I tell 'em about the baby."  
  
Dylan shook her head, "No, Coop. Let me talk to him first, please?"  
  
He looked unsure and disappointed, but nodded. "OK." He said, before heading off back up the passageway.  
  
Iona shuffled her into the room where she collapsed sobbing onto the bed.  
  
"What am I going to do? He ran away! He took one look and fled! Iona. what am I going to do?" she cried.  
  
Settling herself on the bed next to her, Iona took her in her arms. "Talk to him, that's what you're going to do. It was the shock, I'm sure. You should have told him earlier, Dylan. He had a right to know. Springing it on him was rather naughty."  
  
"Naughty? Gracious, Iona, you sound like that teacher we had in infant school! 'Dylan Mackenzie, you are a very naughty girl'!" she laughed, despite her tears. "I know you're right. You always are. But what if he won't talk to me?"  
  
"Of course he will, silly! And if he doesn't, he'll have to talk to me. You may not be able to punch him at the moment, but I sure as hell can!" Iona laughed. "Why don't you have a rest? You'll feel better for it. I'll go and see if I can't find you a nice cup of tea from somewhere, OK?"  
  
Dylan nodded. "OK, I'll try. I am rather tired, and Hamish is kicking hell out of me again."  
  
"Good girl. I'll be as quick as I can. I'm sure there's some handsome Marine out there just waiting to help me!" Iona winked. She headed for the door. Now where was that big handsome marine, she wondered?  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
McQueen flew through the 'Toga's passageways, his mind racing, fury on his face. Crewmen ducked out of his way after a single glance. Someone had clearly pissed off Colonel McQueen big time, and they didn't intend getting the backlash.  
  
How could she? The thought raced through his mind on a continual loop. How could she? A "Dear John" letter would have been bad enough. but to come here and rub his nose in it! To say he was furious would have been an understatement. But underneath, and adding to the fury, was a dreadful sense of loss. of abandonment, rejection, hurt and humiliation. So he continued to stalk around the ship, trying to work it out. How could she do this to him? To flaunt herself like that in public? To let everyone know in the most obvious way possible that she was leaving him for someone else? Dammit. had left him. His fury grew as he thought about it. Hell, it must have been just after he left! That meant it was some snot nosed jerk from the Community! His fists clenched as he thought about how much he'd like beat the crap out of whoever it was. Hell, a good beating wasn't enough. The way he felt now, it'd be murder for sure! He stopped, leaning against a wall for just a second. He felt as though his heart would burst. She knew how he felt about not being able to have children. hell they'd talked about it! He thought she knew, and then to turn around and do this to him! He shook his head. To think that he had trusted her. asked her to be his wife! How could she do this to him? Did she really hate him that much? Beside himself with rage and grief, he braced himself and headed for the gym. That punch bag was going to die again today!  
  
That was where Iona found him an hour later. She'd wandered the ship looking for him and had finally grabbed hold of a passing crewman. "Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find Colonel McQueen, please?"  
  
"He might be in his quarters, ma'am." was the reply.  
  
"Well, could you show me where they are?" she asked curtly.  
  
The crewman nodded and took her to McQueen's door. Getting no reply to her knock, she turned to the crewman. "Where else might he be?"  
  
"Well, he might be on the bridge, but you can't go there, ma'am" he added quickly, seeing the glint in her eye. "Or he might be with the Wildcards. We'll try there first, ma'am."  
  
He took her to another door that had a drawing of cards on it. This time the tall marine who'd helped Dylan answered her knock. "Iona Campbell, right?" he grinned.  
  
Seeing that she'd found someone else, the crewman left with a quick, "Good bye ma'am. I hope you find the colonel."  
  
She nodded at him, and turning to Hawkes, said, "Cooper, isn't it?" At his nod, she told him, "I'm looking for McQueen. Do you know where he is? Is he here?"  
  
Shaking his head, he gestured her inside. "The guys might know." He turned. "Any of you know where McQueen is?" he called.  
  
A chorus of "No.", " On the bridge?", " In the gym?" rang out.  
  
Hawkes nodded. "Let's try the gym. When he's wound up, he tends to go there."  
  
"Show me." Iona said simply.  
  
Opening the door, and asking Hawkes if he would take Dylan some tea, she slipped inside the gym. There were a few people in there, but she could see McQueen pounding a punch bag. She was determined that he was going to talk to Dylan, she'd been so happy to be finally about to see him, so excited about telling him all about the babies, wanting to share everything with him, and he'd turned and walked away from her; Iona wanted to slap his face.  
  
Walking over to him, she spoke. "There you are."  
  
"Who the hell are you?" he growled, giving her an icy glare.  
  
"Iona Campbell." She stuck out a hand. "It's possible you may have seen me earlier, before you ran away!" she spat.  
  
He looked her over, frowning. "I have no idea who you are." he said. Then a fragment of conversation came to his mind. "Iona.the same Iona who told Dill the monster was going to eat her?  
  
"One and the same. Dylan is my best friend, and there are so many things I'd like to say to you right now, but I'll hold my tongue." she snapped. "I was looking forward to meeting you. What a let down you turned out to be. You did exactly what Moira said you would. Dylan is in no fit state for you to do this to her. You need to talk to her."  
  
McQueen bit his tongue. The nerve of this woman telling him what he ought to do! "I really think that's my business, don't you?" he told her coldly. "No one asked her to come all this way. She could have sent me a letter."  
  
Iona stared at him. "You heartless bastard! Why do you think she didn't tell you earlier? Because she was scared you'd do just this! Have you any idea how much it's taken for her to do this?"  
  
"Frankly, I don't care." he said coldly, turning and walking away from her.  
  
She grabbed his arm, refusing to be shaken off. She shouted at him, "You don't care? Then why the hell did you ask her to marry you?"  
  
He forcibly removed her hand from his arm. "I asked her because I thought we had something!" he snarled back, conscious that people were looking at them. He glared around the room, forcing them to look away. Calming himself somewhat, he growled, "Because I didn't realise she was going to do this to me!"  
  
He turned and stalked out of the room, leaving Iona staring after him, sure she'd missed something.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Dylan meanwhile had not rested. As soon as Iona had left, she'd headed up to the small observation room that she would always think of as her and Ty's. She sat staring out at the stars, talking to her babies, pointing out the passing hammerheads and ISSCV's. Repeating to them everything she knew about their father, feeling that now it was even more important. If he no longer wanted anything to do with her, or them, then she needed to be able to remember for their sakes.  
  
Sighing, she stroked her stomach. The babies were for once still, as if the sound of her voice had lulled them to sleep. She sat with tears streaming down her face. She could hardly believe the look she'd seen on his face. the way he'd looked at her, at her stomach and then turned and left. While she'd been sure he would be delighted, that tiny voice that had haunted her, taunting her with her mother's words, had been proved right. It choked her to admit it, but her mother had been right. He'd walked away, just like she'd said, and now she was stuck. How could she go home and face the ridicule? Her life would be miserable and her children told endlessly how worthless their father was. That was what she couldn't bear. The thought of having to listen to her mother denigrate the man she loved tore at her heart.  
  
Dill shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. He'd told her that he would have liked to have been a father, so why was he running away? Shouldn't he have been pleased? Yes, she should have told him earlier, and maybe it was a shock, but to just turn and run. And he knew what her mother thought of him. Why? Why did he do it? She thought he loved her. She must have been wrong. She wished she didn't love him. She sat there so still for so long that eventually she fell asleep.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
McQueen ended up where he always did, outside the quarters of his best friend Commodore Glen Ross. Talking to Glen helped. He trusted him and knew that he would listen before he passed judgement. He took a deep breath and knocked.  
  
Ross's deep voice answered him. "Who's at my hatch?"  
  
"Colonel McQueen, sir."  
  
"Come in."  
  
Ty stepped through the door and saw Ross sitting in his favourite armchair, strumming on his guitar. "I hope that this is not business, Ty. I heard Dylan was aboard. a very pregnant Dylan. So why aren't you with her?"  
  
McQueen stood there, not knowing what to say. Damn scuttlebutt will beat you every time! he thought.  
  
Ross looked up from his guitar. Seeing McQueen's face, he sighed. "Sit down, Ty, and tell me all about it." Quirking a smile at the affronted look McQueen wore, he added, "And that's an order."  
  
McQueen sat in the other chair with a huge sigh, running a hand over his face. He said, "It's over, Glen. me and Dill. She's found someone else."  
  
Ross sat up with a jerk. "What?" he demanded. "What the hell are you talking about? That girl is devoted to you!"  
  
"She's pregnant, Glen." His face fell for an instant, letting Ross see the hurt. "And it sure isn't mine."  
  
"How can you be so sure it's not yours? She wouldn't do that to you, Ty. You know she wouldn't."  
  
McQueen was silent for a long while. He didn't really want to discuss it, even with his best friend. But, he figured, Glen knew why Amy had divorced him. In a small voice he whispered, "I can't have kids. It can't be mine."  
  
Ross leaned forward. "Have you spoken to her? Has she actually told you that she's found someone else?" He took in the awkward way McQueen shuffled in his seat. McQueen was one of the stillest men he'd ever known, and yet here he was fidgeting like a schoolboy in front of the headmaster.  
  
"You haven't, have you? What exactly did you do?" Seeing McQueen fidget more, Ross yelled at him. "You did something stupid again, didn't you? I really just don't believe you sometimes, Ty. You expect the worst of everyone. Have you been waiting for this? Sure that one day she'd drop you? Is that it? Get your sorry behind out of here and go talk to her! Do it. NOW!"  
  
"It can't be mine!" McQueen yelled back as he stood. "How can it be? The Docs told me there was too much damage!"  
  
Ross stood up and yelled in his face, "Then get a paternity check! But whatever you do, you go and talk to that girl, Ty, or I swear this time I will kick your arse from one end of my ship to the other!" He grabbed Ty by the shoulders and propelled him towards the door, yelling, "And don't come back until you've sorted this out!" as he pushed him out of the door.  
  
McQueen stood in the passageway scowling. Pulling himself upright, he marched off in the direction of Dylan's quarters. He was going to sort this and get her off his ship ASAP!  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Knocking on the door, he was surprised to find it opened by Hawkes. "Get out, Hawkes. I need to talk to Dylan!" He was in no mood to be polite.  
  
The door opened further. Iona stood there. "Well, at last! But you're too late, she's not here." She looked worried.  
  
"Where is she?" he asked, his heart lurching at the thought that she might be gone.  
  
"We don't know. I asked Cooper to bring her some tea while I talked to you. She was gone when he got here." She turned to Cooper. "About what. an hour ago?" He nodded.  
  
"Stay here." McQueen barked. "I know where she is." He turned to go, but felt Iona's hand on his arm. Turning back, he glared at her. "Let go of me!"  
  
"Listen, you bastard! She loves you. Don't you hurt her anymore than you already have, or you'll have me to answer to!"  
  
"I suppose I don't count? She can hurt me as much as she likes? But that's OK, isn't it? After all, I'm just a tank, and everyone knows we don't have feelings like real people!" Ty snarled at her, letting the full force of his fury show before he turned and stomped off.  
  
Cooper took Iona's arm. "Ah, he's OK, really." he said. "He's not always like this. Usually if he talks about Dylan, he smiles, and you should see him after a mail call." He looked serious for a moment. "He really loves her, you know. That's what the girls say, anyway." At her smile, he blushed. "I don't know about that stuff, but that's what they say."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
She was exactly where he'd expected her to be. He stood in the doorway looking down at her asleep, her head resting against the wall, a hand on her stomach. With a deep sigh he settled himself down next to her, waiting for her to wake. He didn't want to wake her himself. She looked so peaceful, and he was reminded of how much he loved her. It tore at his heart to see her looking so pale. so thin and ill looking. Seeing her in the doorway, he'd been instantly transported back to the first time he saw her. The difference in her appearance now was not just her obvious pregnancy. Gone was the sparkle in her eyes, her curves that he loved so much. Instead, she looked worn out, like she hadn't slept in weeks, and so pale it made him look tanned. She snuggled up to him in her sleep and his heart nearly broke. How could she do this to him? He watched her hand as in her sleep it gently rubbed her stomach. He could see movement. Puzzled for a moment, he realised it was the baby moving. He watched as the movement increased. Carefully keeping one eye on her in case she woke up, he reached out and placed his hand on her bump. and felt the baby pushing under his hand. The feeling was indescribable. He sat with his hand on her stomach, totally absorbed in feeling her child's movements. He could feel a black pit of sorrow open as he wished it were his.  
  
"That's Hamish you can feel." came her voice. He tore his hand away guiltily. "No, it's all right." she whispered, reaching for his hand and placing it firmly on her stomach. "You might as well get introduced now. This is Hamish. He's just like his father, an early riser, he keeps me up half the night. He's always on the move." She looked up into his face, seeing the wonder as he felt the baby's movements. Moving his hand further down, she smiled. "And this is Cameron. He's the quieter of the two. Probably a thinker, like his dad."  
  
"He must be real proud." he whispered bitterly.  
  
She stared at him, realisation hitting her like a punch to the head. Her voice became intent. disbelieving. "That's why you ran away?" Disbelief turned into anger. "You thought they were someone else's. You thought I'd come to say goodbye!"  
  
"I can't have kids, you know that. How can they be mine?" he growled at her, taking his hand away from her stomach. "How could you do this to me, Dill? I thought you were different. that you cared. that you loved me." He waved at her stomach, his own anger showing in his voice. "You must have got busy right after I left."  
  
"Got busy? Just what kind of a slut do you think I am? To go from your bed to someone else's as soon as you left?" Dylan was really angry now, shouting at him.  
  
"Just what exactly did those doctors tell you? Because I can tell you one thing you, you bloody, buggery, bollockhead!! These babies are yours! Both of them. Twins, McQueen. For someone who can't father children, you sure decided to prove them wrong big time! I haven't slept with anyone else! Why would I want to? The only man I want is sitting here beside me acting like a prize pillock! I ought to punch your lights out, and if I wasn't so damn fat, I would!"  
  
"I can't have kids!" he yelled back at her. "Don't you think Amy and I tried? It was my fault! I fire blanks!"  
  
Dylan stood up and thrust her stomach at him. "Does this look like you fire blanks? You stupid son of a bitch! That war wound of yours has obviously healed! Because Hamish here is certainly not a figment of my imagination, any more than the throwing up I've been doing for the last eight months is!" She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm.  
  
"How do I know they're mine?" he yelled, standing up himself.  
  
"You total bastard! " she yelled, swinging at him.  
  
He avoided her punch easily, catching her fist in his hand. "Well, what am I supposed to think? You show up here, the size of a house, not a single word have you told me about it! You had 8 months to tell me! You obviously had your reasons, the main one being these are not my kids! I can't have kids! How many times do I have to tell you? Just how much more humiliation do you want to heap on my head?"  
  
She pulled her arm free and ran from the room. He ran after her, catching her by her arm again and pulling her round to face him.  
  
"Get your hands off me!" she practically screamed at him. "I don't ever want to see you again! I can't believe my mother was right all along! You're a selfish, cold, heartless bastard! You just don't want them to be yours, do you! Well then, they won't be. They'll be mine! Don't you worry yourself about us, we'll manage just fine without you! I hope you rot in hell!"  
  
"Of course I want them to be mine! But I can face facts, and the fact is, I CAN'T FATHER CHILDREN!"  
  
This time she swung with her left fist and connected with his jaw. He grabbed for her hand. The ring she wore, the diamond he'd given her, must have cut him. she had blood on her hand. The fact that she was still wearing his ring shocked him.  
  
"And you can just give me that damn ring back too. Let the bastard who knocked you up buy you his own one!" He grabbed her hand to pull the ring off.  
  
"The bastard did give it to me!" she screamed. "But you want it back? Here, have it! It's probably paste anyway! You wouldn't have wanted to waste your money on the real thing for a cheap slut like me, would you!"  
  
"I never thought you were a slut!" he shouted back at her, her words slowly beginning to sink in.  
  
"Oh no? But you're ready to believe I would agree to marry you, the man I love, by the way, and then just jump into bed with someone else first chance I get!"  
  
"What was I supposed to think? You could have told me earlier. Why did you leave it so long?" As he said it, he realised why. "You thought I might do what your father did!" he said in a shocked voice. "You thought I'd do that!"  
  
"And you did." she whispered, her heartbreak in her voice. "You took one look at me and you ran away."  
  
"Dill! Listen to me!" he pleaded, as she wriggled to be free of him. "Please! I'm sorry." He pulled her back into the tiny room, and sitting down, forcefully pulled her onto his lap. Burying his face in her neck and wrapping his arms around her, he had to hold her there until he'd finished saying what he had to. "Oh, Dill." he half sobbed. "I saw you and straightaway thought you'd come to say goodbye. I just don't understand how you got pregnant. I was told it was impossible. I'm sorry, Dill. I am, I swear!"  
  
"I think it's a bit late for a lesson on the facts of life, Ty." Dylan sighed. "I would never leave you, not ever. I don't know how it happened. All I know is that it happened. You're right, I should have told you earlier. I was scared you'd run away. I should have trusted you, but you should have trusted me too." She gently touched his jaw where she'd hit him. "Oh, Ty, I cut you. I'm so sorry. I'll never hit you again, I promise." She leaned forward and gently kissed the small scratch.  
  
"I know, I'm sorry too. I should have known you wouldn't do that to me." he whispered, kissing her neck. His hands gently rubbed her stomach, running up and over her bump.  
  
She shivered. "Ty, you better stop that. It's making me feel. well, it's making me feel."  
  
His fingers lightly brushed her breasts, larger now with her pregnancy so advanced. "You know, Dill, I've never thought about it before. and I would have laughed if anyone had said it to me, but.I find this whole thing, your bump, the babies moving, your huge breasts, just. enormously sexy." He looked at her, waiting for her to laugh at him.  
  
She kissed him, tasting every inch of his mouth. She sucked his tongue into her mouth in a ferocious kiss, letting him know exactly how she felt. When she came up for air, she could feel how he felt, his arousal pushing against her thighs.  
  
"God, Ty, you have no idea how much I've wanted you. How I've wished I could feel your arms around me, especially early on, before anyone knew. We can't go to my quarters, Iona's there." She kissed him again and gently licked his face, cleaning the blood from his jaw line, making him shiver.  
  
"We'll go to mine." he breathed, his voice low and husky, his desire evident in every word.  
  
Hand in hand they left, McQueen pulling Dylan along behind him. He stopped a passing crewman and sent him with a message to Iona, to tell her he'd found Dylan. "We don't want anyone knocking at the door." he winked.  
  
They were barely through his door when they started pulling at each other's clothes. In a matter of minutes they were both naked, with Dylan lying on his bed as he sat on the edge, trying to work out the logistics of it.  
  
"Well, as I see it," he smirked, " you get to be on top, or I'll squash the babies." He shook his head. "Gosh, Dill, twins. Well, I guess you don't do anything by halves, do you?"  
  
"Stop pretending you have no idea what to do and kiss me. At this rate they'll be born already!"  
  
He lay down behind her, kissing the back of her neck even as his hands gently found her breasts and began to knead them, rolling the nipples in his fingers. He pressed himself against her, letting her feel how hard he was. "You are so beautiful, Dill" he whispered. "Are you sure we won't hurt the babies?"  
  
"Not if we do it like this." she moaned, reaching her hand up to slowly stroke his navel, making him tremble with desire. "Or even better, like this." she said, getting to her knees and pulling him up behind her.  
  
Holding onto her hips, he pushed her down so she was on her hands and knees and very gently eased himself inside her, worried despite her words. He gasped as she pushed back onto him. "Come on, boy. I think you can go a bit faster than that. I don't know about you, Ty, but I really need this, so."  
  
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" he whispered, as he began to thrust inside her. Slowly at first, but picking up speed as she thrust backwards onto him. He held her tight with one arm wrapped around her hips as he began to pound himself into her, losing his control as his orgasm threatened. It had been too long, and quickly he found himself on the edge, desperately trying to hold on until she had come. She sensed him tensing and thrust backwards faster, forcing him over the edge, until he exploded inside her and collapsed gasping across her back.  
  
"Oh god, Dill!" he gasped, as he rolled off her and pulled her to him. "I can't believe we just did that!"  
  
"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it." she giggled.  
  
"You know I did." he whispered, kissing her forehead, his hands lazily rubbing her breasts. "I think I better do something for you, though. After all, you came all this way." He grinned.  
  
He pushed her onto her back and began to kiss his way over and around her bump and swirling his tongue over her nipples. Ty kissed every movement made by the babies, whispering to them as he slower edged his head lower, until she could no longer see him. Feeling her writhing underneath him, he smiled gently and pulled her legs apart enough for him to move his head lower, to search out her little nub in the by now hot moist depths of her centre. His fingers slid inside her, searching for just the right spot to make her moan and call his name. He sucked and nibbled at her clit, making her buck her hips up into his face. Ty held her down with one hand as he increased his pace with his fingers, matching it with sucks on her little nub. By the time he felt her fluids gush onto his hand, she was writhing on the bed, moaning incoherently. He smiled as he licked her clean. He could taste himself inside her. God, but she tasted good.  
  
He moved up the bed to kiss her and hold her in his arms.  
  
"Hamish?" he whispered. "Where the hell did you dig that up from?"  
  
"Don't forget Cameron." she sighed, snuggling up to him. "Don't you like Hamish? I think it's lovely. So what do you want to call them?"  
  
"Whatever you want, Dill. Hamish is fine."  
  
"Good. Hamish McQueen.sounds lovely."  
  
"Don't forget Cameron McQueen." he whispered. "Twins, Dill. wow."  
  
"Indeed." she mumbled, her voice soft as she drifted off to sleep.  
  
Pulling the covers over them both, he held her close, his hand on her bump possessively. It wasn't long before he, too, was snoring gently. 


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Dill's Pickle Author: Geek Rating: NC-17 This story contains sex - don't say you didn't know! Spoilers: None  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
The characters and situations of the TV program "SPACE: Above and Beyond" are the creations of Glen Morgan and James Wong, Fox Broadcasting and Hard Eight Productions, and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. Dylan Mackenzie belongs to me.  
  
Once again - MANY THANKS to my two betas'. Karen, she's the Bestest beta ever, and Christa - who keeps the cheese to a minimum, and offers endless advice and help. What would I do without the two of you?  
4.  
  
Dylan woke, but she didn't dare move. Ty was asleep on the edge of the bed, and his arm wrapped around her was the only thing keeping him from falling out, she was sure. So she just kept still and looked at him, loving the way his short silver hair curled around his ear, his eyelashes, long for a man, but perfect on him, his lips, slightly open as he snored softly. Unable to resist, she leaned forward and kissed him. It caused him to slip over the edge, not for the first time that week. Grabbing wildly for him as he fell, she started to laugh.  
  
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to kiss you."  
  
"God, woman, when'd you get so big - taking up all the damn room!" he grumbled from the floor.  
  
"Well, as I recall, there was this handsome marine who had his wicked way with me. He told me everything would be OK. I think he told me a whopping great fib!" she giggled, as his head emerged over the edge of the bed to lean forward and kiss her.  
  
"Ever since you got here, all you've done is push me out of my bed." he laughed. "Go sleep in your own bed for once!"  
  
She lay back giggling as he sat on the bed, stroking her swollen belly. "What, and spoil Iona's fun?" At his raised eyebrow, she laughed out loud. "What? You didn't guess? Iona's made very good friends with Cooper this past week. Why should I spoil their fun, when I can come here and push you on the floor?"  
  
She ran her hand through his hair as he bent his head to kiss her stomach. He turned to look at her. "I can't believe how sexy you are like this." He gave her a wicked grin. "Perhaps I should keep you pregnant all the time."  
  
"Oh great! So I'm only sexy when I'm huge! Well, thank you very much. but I didn't notice you complaining before. And what makes you think you're ever going to get lucky again, flyboy?" she laughed.  
  
He moved up her body to her breasts, giving them a gentle suck and swirling his tongue around each large, full nipple. "God, Dill, I can't wait for these babies to be born. I wish I could come home with you to see it happening."  
  
"Well, we have to leave soon. Another day, I think." she sighed, squirming as his hand slid down her belly to slide between her thighs. "We'll film it. How could I let you miss it." She groaned as his fingers slowly slipped inside her. "You are a bad, bad man, McQueen. You really are."  
  
He grinned at her. "No, I'm horny as hell. Can I help it if you're so sexy? Roll over, Dill, and make room for me." Ty lay down behind her, pressing himself close, as she rolled onto her side. He continued working his fingers inside her until she was moving her hips, grinding them back into him, rubbing against his hard cock. He slowly slid his fingers out, and gently pushing her leg up, slid himself into her. Holding her close to him with one arm underneath her, he used his free hand to massage her breast, all the while kissing and nibbling her shoulders as he pumped hard inside her. He could barely contain himself. The mere sight of her naked, heavily pregnant body turned him on in ways he'd never dreamed of. He knew there were plenty of men who were turned off by such a sight, but he didn't care. He knew that Dill wanted him as badly as he wanted her. She moved her hips backwards, thrusting against him as he slid in and out of her. The small whimpering sounds she made encouraged him to push harder and faster. Feeling her muscles tensing around his cock as her climax approached sent him into frenzy, and he sped up until she cried out his name, gripping his arm and thrusting herself backwards so hard she nearly knocked him off the bed again. His own orgasm followed swiftly, and he collapsed onto the pillow, wrapping his arms around her as he gasped for breath.  
  
They lay for a few moments gathering their strength. Ty gently began to stroke her stomach, nuzzling against her neck he whispered, "Hamish is awake."  
  
"I'm not surprised. You woke him up." she laughed.  
  
"Me? It was you jiggling about!" Ty tried to sound offended.  
  
"Jiggling about! Is that what they're calling it now?" Dill sighed. "I'm worried about Cameron." she said quietly.  
  
"Feels like he's awake too." he told her, reaching his hand lower to feel.  
  
"Have you noticed how it's always Hamish we talk about? What'll happen when they're born? I worry that Cameron will get left out." Dill turned to look at him. "What if he gets left out because Hamish is so much more assertive?"  
  
"He won't get left out. You'll make sure he doesn't, and so will I." he told her, hugging her tighter.  
  
"But what if Hamish is a bossy boots and demands all my attention?" she sighed. "How am I going to cope with twins, Ty?"  
  
"You'll cope. Of course you will. I'm sure Iona would help you, if you asked her." It was his turn to sigh. "I just wish I could be there to help too."  
  
"We're together now, that's what matters. And I know you'll take all the leave that's owed you. You'll do your best, that's all I ask, Ty." She held his face in her hands and kissed him soundly.  
  
He responded eagerly, sliding his tongue into her mouth and tasting her thoroughly before breaking the kiss. "I have to get up. I need to shower, and I'm due on the bridge in 25 mikes."  
  
"Need help washing your back?" she giggled.  
  
Patting her stomach, he grinned. "I doubt you could reach it, and I really don't want to be late. I have too much to do."  
  
He kissed her one final time and eased himself off the bed, hopping out of the way to avoid the hand she flicked out to slap his behind. "Damn your in vitro reflexes." she laughed. "That behind just begs to be slapped!"  
  
"After the babies are born!" he winked, disappearing into the bathroom.  
  
"Ooooooh - is that a promise?" she called to him.  
  
"If I told you that, I'd have to kill you!" she heard before he was drowned out by the sound of the water running.  
  
When he emerged from the shower a few minutes later, he found her asleep, hugging the pillow. Ty stood and looked at her for a moment or two before dressing. He'd already spoken to Iona about the weight loss he could visibly see. He'd always heard that women were supposed to bloom in pregnancy. Dill, however, looked pale and worn out. It worried him. Iona had reassured him, to a point. But then, she wasn't the one who could feel her ribs under his hands, bones where previously there had been curves. He sighed. At least she was getting some rest and finally managing to keep her food down. He dressed quickly, and with a final kiss, he pulled the covers over her and headed out the door.  
  
Two days later found him heading for the bridge, having seen Dill and Iona off on their journey home. Despite her best intentions, Dill had cried, blaming it on her hormones. And if he was honest with himself, it wasn't dust in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he put Dill and the babies out of his mind as he went through the door to the bridge.  
  
An hour into his shift there came a frantic call over the comm from the pilot of an ISSAPC "Saratoga, come in! We're being pursued by enemy craft. We've taken hits. We've lost our roof and starboard guns!"  
  
He listened while the comms operator, Lt. Crowe, spoke. "This is the Saratoga. Please advise how many enemy craft?"  
  
"Hell, I don't know - it looks like a whole squadron! We need help now, Saratoga! We have a medical emergency on board - we're heading back. Have a med team standing by." came the pilot's panicked voice.  
  
McQueen frowned, realizing the only ISSAPC out there was the one Dill and Iona were on. His heart leapt to his throat as he caught the look on Commodore Ross's face.  
  
"They'll be fine, Ty." Ross whispered, moving close to him and putting a hand on his arm. Turning, Ross called out, "I want the 5-8 and the 6-4 out there now! I want the 5-8 escorting that APC back to us! And I want it yesterday!"  
  
They waited, watching the lidar and listening to the pilot, calmer now that he knew help was on the way, as he explained the nature of the medical emergency. "The first hit we took shook us up pretty badly." he told Lt. Crowe. "We have civilians on board. One of them was thrown to the floor. She's heavily pregnant, and now it looks like she's going to have those babies right here if we don't get back soon. I'm gunning the engines as fast as I can, but you better tell the docs to be prepared when we get there. It might a close call!" He paused, and then said, "I see the fighters."  
  
Again McQueen felt Ross's hand, this time squeezing his shoulder. "She'll be fine, Ty. Looks like you might be there for the birth after all." Ross grimaced.  
  
"It's too early." McQueen growled. "And our sickbay's not kitted for babies."  
  
Ross grinned. "Are you joking? They'll have a field day down there. After all the battle injuries they see, two babies will boost them right up! What a way to reaffirm what we're fighting for."  
  
They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, McQueen taking comfort from his friend's presence, as they waited for the ISSAPC to land.  
  
As soon as it touched down on the landing pad, Ross turned to McQueen. "What are you standing there for, man? Off to sickbay with you!" He held up a hand as McQueen opened his mouth to protest that this was his shift. "No arguing. Who's the boss here? Go, and don't come back until you have something to tell me." he grinned.  
  
"Sir, yes, sir!" McQueen grinned back, heading for sickbay at a run cursing the fact that sickbay was so far away from the bridge.  
  
He'd been delayed in getting there. The main corridor had been blocked by what seemed like endless squads of marines jogging. As he burst through the doors, he skidded to a halt as an unfamiliar senior nurse bumped into him. Having spent so much time in and out of the sickbay, either by himself or with his kids, he thought he knew them all.  
  
"Colonel McQueen! Just the man I was coming to find! We're prepping her for surgery. One of the babies is showing signs of foetal distress. We need to get them out as soon as possible. Dylan insisted you be there before we started." Grabbing him by the arm, she dragged him into a private room. Dylan was lying on the bed, Iona holding her hand.  
  
He took one look at her pale frightened face and gave in to his need to hold her. Gathering her up in his arms, he held her tightly while she sobbed into his chest. "It's Cameron, I know it is."  
  
"Shhh Dill." he whispered, stroking her hair. "You don't know that. And even if it is, he'll be OK. I promise."  
  
"Don't make promises you can't keep." she sobbed.  
  
The nurse tugged at his sleeve. "We really need to prep her now, colonel. Would you mind standing aside, please?" Seeing the reluctance on his face, she smiled. "It's okay, you can hold her hand for me while I put this drip in."  
  
Laying her back down on the bed, he kept a firm hold on her hand as the nurse busied herself with the drip. Once she was set up, the nurse stood back and grinned. "I'm adding this sedative now, it'll take a minute or two before it kicks in. Sorry, but we have to put you under completely dear, in case there's internal bleeding to stop." She turned to McQueen. "Colonel, I assume you're coming in?" At his nod, she carried on. "Out of that flight suit then, lovey, and into some scrubs. I'll be back with them in a minute."  
  
When the nurse returned, Dylan was asleep. The nurse handed him the promised scrubs. "Come on, colonel. Into those, quick as you can now. There's a good boy!"  
  
Ignoring his raised eyebrow, she turned to Iona. "There's a big marine outside asking after you. I think you should let him know you're okay."  
  
"But Dylan - " she started.  
  
"Has the colonel. Now out with you - we can't be having marines pulling puppy dog faces all over sickbay. Out with you, girl. Go and make him smile! There's not enough room for the two of you in there, and daddy takes priority." She nodded in McQueen's direction. "Bet he thought he'd never hear that." she whispered, as Iona stood up to leave.  
  
"I heard that." he chuckled.  
  
"Are you ready yet?" the nurse asked, turning around. Seeing that he was, she went to the door and yelled, "We're ready in here. now let's get these babies out!"  
  
The room rapidly filled with people, all seemingly there to do different jobs before Dylan was wheeled away to the operating theatre. McQueen trailed along behind. "Come on, colonel! No slacking at the back there!" the nurse called out with a grin. He couldn't help but grin back, despite his fears for Dylan and the babies. He felt like a large mother hen had adopted him.  
  
In the operating theatre he stood in the background, not really knowing what to do with himself, but keen to keep out of the way and let them get on with their jobs.  
  
"Come on now, don't be shy!" came a voice from behind him. It was the nurse, changed into scrubs herself. She propelled him to the table, near Dylan's head. "Make way for daddy!" she called. He was grateful for the facemask he'd been handed - it hid the blush that crept up his neck.  
  
Ty stood and watched as the nurse - his nurse he thought of her as now - brought over a trolley with an assortment of surgical instruments. He was mesmerised by the way the whole procedure flowed so smoothly. Everyone knew exactly what they were doing. The surgeon had to ask for nothing - the nurse handed him exactly what he wanted when he wanted it. He couldn't fail to acknowledge and admire the efficiency with which they worked. He was so engrossed in watching them he almost missed it when the nurse spoke to him. "We're ready to bring out the first one now."  
  
He watched in amazement, his heart pounding, as he saw first the feet, and then the rest of the body, and finally his son's head emerging, complete with a shock of blonde hair, from Dylan's abdomen. The sight of the little fists flailing as the baby was handed to the nurse brought tears to his eyes. That was his child. his son. He could hardly breath. Ty watched as she wiped the tiny face and cleared his nose and mouth. Alarms started to go off as she wrapped him tightly in a blanket. She turned to McQueen. "Here you go, daddy. Say hello to this little chappie while I help deliver his brother."  
  
Holding him in his arms, he could feel the baby - his son - struggling against the blanket. "You must be Hamish." he whispered. Holding him close, Ty watched as the surgeon plunged both hands inside Dylan, reaching for the next baby. "Come on, Cameron." he whispered. "You can do this."  
  
Looking up, the nurse smiled at him. "Don't worry, it's not as bad as it seems. This little fellow is trying to give us a fright, that's all. Once we get him out, he'll be right as rain."  
  
Ty stared, gently rocking Hamish in his arms, as Cameron was removed, rather more hurriedly than Hamish had been, from his mother's abdomen. He turned, watching the nurse as she again wiped the tiny face and cleared his airways. She seemed to be spending longer with him than she had with Hamish. "Is he OK?" he asked, his concern evident. "And Dill? Is Dill going to be OK?"  
  
"He's a bit blue, but he's pinking up nicely. Don't worry. You have two beautiful baby boys. And she's going to be fine. A few stitches, and she'll be right as rain. She's done you proud." The nurse said, wrapping Cameron in a blanket and handing him to McQueen. She helped him to adjust them so he could hold both babies comfortably. "Now just stay right there - I'll be back!"  
  
He stood, a baby on each arm, feeling slightly bewildered. Although he'd known there would be babies at the end of it, the reality was just beginning to sink in. He had two sons - two tiny people that he was now responsible for.  
  
The nurse returned, holding a camera. She peeled off his facemask. "Come on, daddy, give us a smile!"  
  
He found himself being photographed holding the babies, smiling despite himself. Still feeling overwhelmed at the reality of it, he stood for several more pictures when the surgical team admitted these were the first babies they'd ever delivered. How could he deny them their own photos?  
  
Eventually the babies were taken off him. Dylan had been stitched up, and they were heading back to her room. "So, do you have names for them yet?" the nurse asked him as she pushed the trolley that had been turned into a makeshift crib for the two babies.  
  
He smiled. "We do, indeed. That one," he pointed, "is Hamish. He's been the more active of the two all through. And this one," he reached to stroke the tiny head, "is Cameron. He's the quiet one."  
  
She watched his face as he spoke. "Besotted you are." she chuckled. "Already you're besotted. I think I know two little boys who are going to run rings around their daddy!"  
  
"You may be right." he smiled, adding, "I just wish I could be there to watch them grow up."  
  
"Well, they won't be going anywhere for at least a month. They'll grow quite a bit during that time, let me tell you, and you'll be here to see it." She gave his arm a squeeze. "Anytime of the day or night, you just pop down for a cuddle. No one will turn you away."  
  
Once they were safely installed back in Dylan's room, the nurse brought him two bottles of infant formula. "We're not as unprepared for everything as we may seem." she grinned.  
  
"But Dill wants to breastfeed." he told her anxiously.  
  
"My love, she's not going to wake up for quite a while. These boys are going to need feeding before she does. One bottle won't hurt them. I'll show you how to do it. Come on, who do you want? I'll feed the other, and then it's 'daddy learns to change a nappy'!"  
  
"Cameron." he whispered. "Can I feed Cameron?"  
  
"Of course you can. Now which one is he? Oh yes, he's the bald one. Ah, bless him, he's awake." Picking him up, she handed him to McQueen and made sure they were settled and feeding correctly, before she picked up Hamish to feed.  
  
Settling herself in the other chair, she watched him with the baby. "You're a natural." she smiled. Looking down at Hamish, she grinned. "These boys have the most beautiful blue eyes. I'd say they'll stay blue, judging by yours. You know, they're like two peas in a pod, the only difference being that Hamish has hair. But he'll lose that." She smiled at him. "I'll bet you were a beautiful baby, just like these two."  
  
"I was never a baby." he mumbled, embarrassed, but not knowing why. "I'm an in vitro."  
  
"Of course you were a baby! They had to grow you, didn't they? You weren't just made fully grown." She shook her head. "And don't be embarrassed about it. There are two people here who won't care about that. They'll love you unconditionally." She smiled at him, ignoring the blush on his face. "I'd say their mummy does, too."  
  
He blushed even more. "I think she does." he whispered. "I don't deserve her."  
  
She smiled at him. "I'm sure you do, my dear. I'm sure you do."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Dylan woke to the feel of someone on the bed with her, arms around her. Turning her head, she found that McQueen was stretched out next to her, his head nuzzled into her neck, snoring softly. A large smile spread across her face as she gently stroked his hand where it rested on her breast. The sound of movement drew her eyes towards the nurse busy checking the drip she was still attached to.  
  
"My babies?" she whispered.  
  
"Shhh, my love. They're here, and beautiful they are too. They're asleep, just like daddy here." she grinned. "He's been up for hours feeding, changing and talking to them. He's not long nodded off. I practically had to force him up onto that bed!"  
  
"Are they both OK?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Yes, my dear. Cameron gave us a bit of a scare, but he's fine now. Now you go back to sleep. When they need feeding again, I'll wake you and you can try feeding them yourself."  
  
"I want you to do something for me, please?"  
  
"Of course, my dear."  
  
"Can you let my father know they've been born? He's on the George Washington. And one other thing - " she stopped, not quite knowing how to phrase it. "Will you do a paternity test? It's important. Please?"  
  
"Well." the nurse sighed. "I believe the colonel here already notified your father, and. are you sure, my dear?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. Please?"  
  
"I'll do it - but I hope they're his, because he's already besotted." She nodded at McQueen.  
  
"Oh, they are. There's no doubt about it." Dylan sighed  
  
"Then why the test? - no, don't answer that. It's none of my business. I'll get straight onto it. Now you, my girl," she came over to her and tucked the covers back up over her, "go back to sleep right this minute."  
  
"It's so nice to hear a familiar accent. Aren't you on the wrong ship?"  
  
The nurse smiled. "No, my love. I'm part of the exchange programme. I arrived here from the HMS Invincible a week ago. I'm here for the next six months." She chuckled. "My head of staff warned me not to pick up any bad habits while I'm here, or I can't go home. Now come on, my girl, off to sleep with you."  
  
"Yes, nurse." Dylan smiled, closing her eyes.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Next time she woke, it was to the sound of crying babies. Trying to sit herself upright, she looked up as the nurse came into the room. "Here, lovey, let me raise the bed head for you, then you'll be comfortable."  
  
Once she was more upright, the nurse grinned. "So do you feel up to trying to feed them?" At Dylan's nod, she smiled. "There's my girl. Now let's tuck these extra pillows under your arms here. They'll support the boys while they feed. If you manage this. and don't you worry if you can't. daddy is going to be a little disappointed. He enjoyed feeding them far more than he let on." She picked up Hamish and settled him with Dylan, his feet tucked under her arm, his body supported by her hand and the extra pillows. She ensured he was latched on correctly. "That's the ticket! Now do you think you can manage the other chappie too?" As Dylan nodded again, she did the same with Cameron on the other side. "Of course, now you don't have the use of your arms." she laughed. "But don't you worry, I'll be back in a minute."  
  
She turned to leave, stopping as Dylan asked, "The test?"  
  
"Oh, they're his all right, no doubt about it. Now stop worrying and get those boys fed. I sent the colonel off a while ago, to shower and eat. I expect he'll be back any minute, and you have a whole queue of visitors waiting to say hello." At Dylan's worried look, she smiled. "Oh don't worry. No one's coming in until you've finished. Well, except the colonel, but he gets special privileges. He is daddy, after all!" That said, she disappeared out of the door, leaving Dylan alone with the babies.  
  
Looking down at them, she saw two sets of pale blue eyes looking up at her. She was unprepared for the strength of love she felt for them both. It brought her close to tears. With a sigh, she contented herself with enjoying watching them as they fed, their tiny mouths working hard as they suckled on her, little fists pressing against her breasts.  
  
"So, can you tell who's who?" McQueen asked, as he came through the door. He kissed her before settling himself into a chair, watching her feeding.  
  
"I'm not sure." she smiled. "But I think this little wriggle fish here, with all this hair. Gosh Ty, so much hair! I think this must be Hamish. And that means that this little man is Cameron." She smiled down at the little face still watching her intently.  
  
"Spot on." he laughed. "Cameron gave us a scare, but it didn't take long for him to pick up."  
  
She smiled at him. "God, Ty, they are so beautiful. Just like their father."  
  
He frowned. "A paternity test, Dill? Why did you ask for that? You said they were mine."  
  
"I wanted you to know that for sure. Now you'll never think about it again, no matter what happens. You'll know they're yours. You'll never get a sneaking doubt, not ever." she told him quietly.  
  
"Oh Dill - I love you so much it hurts." he said, getting up and hugging her.  
  
"So now you know for sure, and we can put it behind us and move on." she whispered. "And I love you too, Tyrus McQueen."  
  
He kissed her hair, her forehead and finally her mouth, before sitting back down in the chair, watching fascinated as the babies fed.  
  
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, McQueen watching the babies feed, and Dylan watching him. Once the boys were finished, she watched in admiration as he took them from her one at a time, changed their nappies, and settled them down to sleep.  
  
"Well, you have skills you've kept secret." she chuckled, as he finally settled Hamish.  
  
"I had a good teacher." he smiled. "That nurse of yours, she showed me how earlier. I can bottle-feed them too." he added proudly.  
  
"Come here to me." she laughed. "Come and give me a cuddle. I think I'm about ready for some proper cuddles from you." At the wary look on his face, she laughed more. "No, you fool, not that sort of a cuddle - just a cuddle. I'm not up to anything like that yet! Hop up on here and give me a snug."  
  
Doing as he was told, they lay together, McQueen wrapping his arms around her protectively as she snuggled herself into his chest, being careful to avoid her abdomen.  
  
"Ty?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You were watching them feed. You were very - intent." She looked up at him, noticing the blush creeping up his face. "You've never seen babies being breastfed before, have you." It was a statement, rather than a question.  
  
"No." he whispered. "Does it hurt?"  
  
"Not at all." She was silent for a while. Then, "Ty?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You were never breastfed."  
  
"Well, no, of course not." he said, apprehensive about where this was leading.  
  
"Would you like to try?" she asked, her voice very small and quiet.  
  
"What. here? Now? I don't know, Dill. It's not right - that's for the babies."  
  
"Ty, there's plenty for everyone. I've never known you not to want to suck my breasts before!" she giggled.  
  
"Well, that's as maybe. but before, you didn't have babies to feed."  
  
"They're fed. So?" she stared into his eyes. "I don't want to force you into it, but I'm letting you know it's all right."  
  
"Maybe," he whispered, his blush deepening, "just once."  
  
"Lock the door then, and close the blind."  
  
Getting up from the bed, he walked slowly across the room to lock the door. Mentally he may have been reticent, but his body was keen. His cock was rigid.  
  
She smiled, seeing how turned on he was. "Hurry up," she whispered, "and unzip that suit. I'm sure I can help you with that."  
  
"Not in front of the babies, Dylan!"  
  
"Oh, come here you fool." she laughed, reaching for him as he climbed back onto the bed.  
  
Holding her tightly, he waited for her nod before bending his head to take her nipple into his mouth. She moaned as he began to suckle. It felt completely different to when the babies had been feeding. She looked down at him. He'd closed his eyes, but opened them again, staring up at her as she stroked his head gently. He stopped suckling. "Go on." she whispered. "It's OK. It feels good, go on." she urged him. He carried on, a whimper escaping his lips as she reached inside his flight suit to stroke his hard cock. Slowly she began to pump him, squeezing him gently, until she could feel his hips beginning to move. She increased her speed, still gently squeezing him with each pump of her hand, until he was bucking his hips into her hand. His sucking became more erratic as he began to build to a climax, and she worked him harder till he thrust against her hand two, three times hard and fast, and she felt him come.  
  
"God, Dill, that was - intense." he gasped, releasing her breast.  
  
"Mmmmm - Yes it was. We must try that again, when I'm all healed up. Thank goodness I heal fast. Must have got that from my father, too." she grinned at him. "You better get cleaned up before that nurse comes back. She'll get suspicious if the door's locked."  
  
Hopping off the bed, he got a washcloth from the sink and cleaned himself and Dylan. "You are a very bad girl Dill. I can't believe we just did that! And in front of the babies, too!"  
  
"Oh, give over, you know you enjoyed it." she laughed. "Now, quick, unlock that door."  
  
He did as he was told, and not a moment too soon. He'd just sat down in the chair when the nurse bustled in. "Shut the blinds, did we? Well, we all need privacy sometimes, but I'll just open them now. I hope you two haven't been up to mischief in here!" she chuckled, mentally noting the way they both blushed and smiling to herself. "There's a whole crowd out there to see you. Shall I let them in?"  
  
Dylan grinned. "Yes, please."  
  
They were soon besieged by the 58Th and Iona, come for their first look at the new arrivals. McQueen sat in the chair watching them as they cooed and clucked over the sleeping babies, showing Dylan the gifts they'd bought. His 'kids' fussing over his kids. the thought made him smile.  
  
~~~~~~~~ 


	5. Chapter5

Title: Dill's Pickle Author: Geek Rating: NC-17 This story contains sex - don't say you didn't know! Spoilers: None  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
The characters and situations of the TV program "SPACE: Above and Beyond" are the creations of Glen Morgan and James Wong, Fox Broadcasting and Hard Eight Productions, and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. Dylan Mackenzie belongs to me.  
  
Once again - MANY THANKS to Karen, she's the Bestest beta ever, and Christa - who keeps the cheese to a minimum, and offers endless advice and help. What would I do without the two of you?  
5.  
  
The next few days proved to be quite busy. Dylan received visits from the 58th everyday, and McQueen spent every spare moment with her and the babies. Iona spent a great deal of time with her, discussing the practicalities of their eventual journey home. She even received a couple of visits from Commodore Ross. The only person who hadn't visited her was her father, which she understood, as he couldn't be expected to drop everything and fly over from the Washington. But she was healing fast. The doctors had been quite surprised at how well she was doing, until she told them her father was an in vitro. Then they'd just nodded and left her in peace.  
  
She was sitting in a chair, nursing Cameron, when Iona popped her head around the door. "Alright if I come in?" she asked.  
  
"Of course. Pull up a chair and tell me all about you and Cooper." Dill grinned wickedly. "You've been very close mouthed about him."  
  
"Yes, well. let's just say things are going well." Iona grinned, sitting herself down. "He's a real sweetie." she said, picking up Hamish for a cuddle.  
  
"Who? Hamish or Cooper?"  
  
"Cooper." she smiled shyly. "He's such a sweetie, and he's lovely."  
  
"Just you be careful, Iona. I wouldn't like him to get hurt." Dylan warned her.  
  
"Oh, Dylan! You take the biscuit, you really do!" Iona laughed. "You know me better than that!" She swiftly changed the subject. "So where's Colonel Cutie today?"  
  
"I wish you wouldn't call him that. One day he'll hear you!" Dylan laughed. "He's on the bridge. The 58th have a patrol. You know he's always there when they're out."  
  
"I know, that's why I'm here. No Cooper." Iona sighed. Then she threw a quick glance at Dylan. "Not that I wouldn't have come to say hello anyway, but you know what I mean!" she laughed.  
  
"I know." Dylan grinned back. "Is there any news on my father yet? I'd like him to meet Ty and the babies before we have to go home."  
  
"I don't know. Colonel Cutie was dealing with it." she laughed. "You'll have to ask him."  
  
"Iona!"  
  
"I'm sorry, but it suits him!" she chuckled, gently rocking Hamish as he began to wriggle.  
  
"Here, pass him over. You take Cameron. He's asleep now anyway, and that young monkey wants feeding again, no doubt!" Dylan smiled.  
  
Swapping babies, they sat and talked for a while until the nurse came in to check on Dylan's progress and tell her to rest. Obediently Iona rose, handing Cameron to the nurse, who tucked him snugly in his makeshift crib.  
  
"I'll see you later, Dylan." she said, planting a kiss on her friend's forehead. "I expect Colonel Cutie will be here by then, too!" Grinning at the exasperated look on Dylan's face, she disappeared out of the door.  
  
"Colonel Cutie?" the nurse asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Don't ask." Dylan sighed, putting Hamish down to sleep and climbing onto the bed.  
  
"Suits him." the nurse laughed.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
McQueen was feeling pleased with himself. His plans had come together better than he had expected. Glen Ross had agreed to it, as had the chaplain, and to cap it all the 58th were back safe and sound. The transport from the Washington had arrived. Which was where he was off to now - to meet Dill's father.  
  
Striding into the landing bay, he stopped, surprised at the sight that confronted him. There was no mistaking who this man was, but somehow McQueen had expected him to be smaller, like Dill. He was taller than McQueen - taller than Hawkes, even. But his smile, as he smiled at McQueen, was Dill's.  
  
"You must be Colonel McQueen." he rumbled, his voice deep. "Your reputation precedes you, sir."  
  
McQueen shook the offered hand. "I think, sir, that as you're about to become my father-in-law, we'd better drop the rank. Call me Ty, please."  
  
"Then I guess you'd better call me Dylan. I never did like sir much." The older man chuckled. "So when do I get to see my daughter and grandsons?"  
  
"If you'll follow me, sir.Dylan." Ty shook his head, and made for the door. "This is going to get mighty confusing."  
  
"Well, I allow my friends to call me Dill."  
  
"That's what I call Dylan." McQueen chuckled over his shoulder. "So that'll be as bad. She doesn't know you're here, or that I've arranged this. So although everyone is ready, I just need a moment or two with her alone first."  
  
They arrived in sickbay to find everyone waiting for them. There were a few raised eyebrows as McQueen made the introductions.  
  
"Ty, I still say this should have been dress uniforms." Ross told him, the 58th nodding their agreement.  
  
"Dill doesn't have anything nice to wear." McQueen responded. "We've been over this, sir. We'll do it now just as we are. We can do it again later in the full regalia, if she wants."  
  
"Colonel?" 'Phousse spoke up. "I'm sure we could find her something."  
  
"Let me go in and speak to her. If she wants, we'll do it in dress blues. But let me ask her first."  
  
"Sir?" This time it was Hawkes. "You got a ring, sir?" he asked.  
  
Seeing the concern on his face, McQueen smiled. "Yes, Hawkes. I have a ring. Thanks to the Commodore here." Ty turned to Ross. "Thanks, Glen. You're a life saver." he whispered. "Now let me go talk to Dill."  
  
McQueen pushed the door open, smiling at Dill as she sang softly to the babies. "Hey, Dill."  
  
"Ty!" she smiled back, and rushed into his arms for a hug. "You were gone so long, I started to get worried."  
  
He sat down in a chair and pulled her onto his lap. "I have something I need to ask you, so stop wriggling and listen." he said sternly.  
  
"Sir, yes, sir!" she giggled, squirming even more in his lap.  
  
"When you agreed to marry me, we thought we'd wait until after the war, yes?"  
  
"Well. yes." she said hesitantly, all her wriggling stopped at this unexpected question.  
  
"How would you feel about doing it sooner?" Ty asked, his hand gently stroking her back.  
  
"How soon?"  
  
"Well. now." he grinned. "If you want to, that is."  
  
"I really wanted my father to be there when we got married." Dill said quietly.  
  
"He will be. He's waiting outside with everyone else."  
  
"Then yes, please!" she grinned, kissing him thoroughly. Moving herself so that she straddled him, her hands wandered to the zip of his flight suit.  
  
"No, Dill. Definitely not now! Everyone is outside, praying you'll be up for this." he smiled.  
  
"I suppose you better let them in then." she sighed, climbing off his lap. "But just you remember, this is my wedding day. I want some privacy for us tonight. We may not be able to get as busy as I'd like, and we'll have to be careful of my stitches, but we can certainly have some fun."  
  
"You really are insatiable, do you know that?" he laughed, getting up and kissing her. " But the twenty-four thousand dollar question is. do you want us in our dress uniforms? There's dissention in the ranks."  
  
"Oh no!" she giggled. "I think you're damned sexy in that flight suit. It's how I always think of you. What better to get married in?"  
  
With a grin, he headed to the door. Popping his head round it, he told the crowd outside, "It's on, and no dress blues. Come on in."  
  
The group all trooped in, and in the presence of their closest friends and family, Dill and Ty were married. Their infant sons behaved themselves impeccably, and except for a short moment when Hamish was sick on his grandfather, the whole thing went as smoothly as the proverbial baby's bottom.  
  
Fin. 


End file.
